No. I’m just pointing out that the blanket statement you made, that CBS has no first amendment obligations, is incorrect.
But I still don’t see why they do have first amendment obligations. Is it just because they use the spectrum to broadcast, thus opening them up to first amendment constraints?
I do think that your position is wrong. We, as individuals, bear the responsibility to uphold ideals like free speech, separation of church and state, the presumption of innocence, and so on.
I can live with that. But what do you think my position is? I agree that individuals have the responsibility to uphold ideals like free speech, etc. I just don’t think CBS is an individual. Also, obligation has a different meaning to me than responsibility, so perhaps it is just semantics. There is a moral responsibility to uphold those, but not necessarily a legal obligation (for individuals or corporations). That is my position. My position is that if we are looking to corporations as our model (or even example) of how to act in our society, we are screwed because corporations only obligation is to turn a profit for their shareholders and sometimes not even that. Morally it would be great if they were benevolent, but they aren’t and I just can’t dredge up the idealism to even hope they act like that.
Those aren’t just “government virtues”, they’re pretty basic to secular ethics. I don’t want the government to say what speech is permissible, I want speech to be free.
Preaching to the choir, so it makes me think you grossly misunderstand my stance on this issue, which is understandable considering the only information you have about it is from limited posts on a discussion board about disparate topics. Again, my point, with which you disagree, is that I am not legally obliged to even be ethical (except in situations where this has been legislated), though I feel the moral imperative to be so. Maybe you are taking my two meanings and merging them in “obligated” or maybe we just disagree. Doesn’t really matter either way.
Is it just because they use the spectrum to broadcast, thus opening them up to first amendment constraints?
That is my position.
Well, given that clarification, we’re not so far apart.
I interpreted your disclaimer of CBS’s responsibilities to be a typical “libertarian” stance.
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